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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. tear — to rip
  5. press — newspapers
  6. hand — help
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. hand — in cards
  9. tube — a container
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. sharp — clever
  13. press — a publisher
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wax — to grow
  16. club — for dancing
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. tube — the underground
  19. club — a group
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. press — to push
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lash — a whip stroke

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com